Grab-n-Go...to therapy on your phone?

From intergenerational jokes to a hot button issue in parenting guidance, smartphones have been the focus of many despairing conversations about their possible negative impact on our social skills, attention spans or other parts of our lives. 9 in 10 American adults now own a smartphone, including 97% of adults under 50, making these devices a new and more accessible way for many people to access therapy and other mental health services. Termed digital mental health, we can now offer mental health services more easily through computers, smartphones, and tablets. Since the start of the COVID pandemic in 2019, we've seen a significant increase in the use of these tech devices in mental health care.

Imagine the current state of mental health care as a mall food court with many different places to eat - pizza, burgers, Thai, a vegan place, etc. Not everyone needs to eat right now, but those that do need to eat need different amounts and types of food, just as someone with mild depression has different needs compared to someone with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, the lines are long everywhere. There aren’t enough food court employees, as with therapists, to quickly serve everyone. This problem is especially pronounced for those with specific needs who have a more limited selection of options. This results in a series of issues: long wait times, people choosing options that may not be the best fit for them, and too expensive care. All this adds up to making the meal – or in this case, mental health care – inaccessible.

Digital mental health care is like adding a new grab-and-go station which can still offer a wide array of choices for a person's needs. Though a standalone smartphone app may not yet be quite as personalized as speaking with a health care provider one-on-one, these apps can be cheaper, quicker to access, and make the lines shorter for people who need more specialized or in-person mental health options. Digital mental health care apps can also utilize different technology to support mental health, like sending notifications to the patient as a reminder to practice skills related to their mental well-being. So while you might not be able to ask for no cilantro and extra salsa in your digital mental health care burrito, these technologies can help make the mental healthcare system more efficient and, whether it’s through a grab-and-go station or another option, increase accessibility for everyone who needs it.

1. Sidoti, O., Gelles-Watnick, R., Faverio, M., Atske, S., Radde, K., & Park, E. (2024). “Mobile Fact Sheet.” Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/

2. Li, J. (2023). Digital technologies for mental health improvements in the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 1-10.

3. Mishkind, M. C., Shore, J. H., Bishop, K., D’Amato, K., Brame, A., Thomas, M., & Schneck, C. D. (2021). Rapid conversion to telemental health services in response to COVID-19: Experiences of two outpatient mental health clinics. Telemedicine and E-Health, 27(7), 778–784. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0304

4. VandenBos, G. R., & Williams, S. (2000). The Internet versus the telephone: What is telehealth anyway? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 31, 490–492. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.31.5.490

Melissa Gasser is a clinical psychology graduate student and researcher at the University of Washington.